Rx Networks is a location company that specializes in accurate consumer device positioning using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems). Rx Networks has enabled the location of billions of mobile devices with GNSS data services. For example, Emergency services can be immediately dispatched to the location of a caller under duress with E911 services using Rx Networks Data. Mobile phones can provide highly accurate positioning (under 1 m) for navigation, tracking, and a growing number of other location-based applications with ever-increasing accuracy requirements. With corporate values that include Relationships, Ingenuity, Teamwork, Excellence, Pragmatism, and Passion, Rx Networks is positioned to continue to improve the location in any connected GNSS device.
Tell us about yourself?
My path to Rx Networks and GNSS was a winding one. I studied Computer Science and Psychology at university. Because of my interest and studies in Artificial Intelligence, I naturally ended up being a gameplay engineer in the video game industry. After several years of making video games, I moved into handheld device development. This led me to become a Product Manager with Rx Networks, and I have been here ever since. Becoming CEO was a natural progression of my interests in the industry and the company. While it was the people at Rx who first brought me to the company, the fact that device positioning is so relevant to our everyday lives and the technology is so intriguing is what has kept me here for over 12 years.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
That is an interesting question. If I were to go back two years ago and had the opportunity to give myself advice, I think I would tell myself to be patient and focus on the long term. I would warn myself that the world is going to have several simultaneous challenges which will affect business, but not to let the short-term troubles distract from the long-term plans. I should remember that we can find solutions to the problems facing us if we just stay calm and pragmatic and trust the team’s ingenuity and teamwork. I would also point out that there will be a lot of investment, hype, and varied interest in the location business, but to succeed, you need to stay true to your plan and make sure you are solving real-world problems. So always challenge why you are doing something but take time to make sure the solution is the correct one.
What problem does your business solve?
Rx Networks ensures a device can get a fast, accurate, and consistent position. While historically the use of GNSS was in military and professional surveyor business, it has now shown its value in mass market applications. Professional GNSS receivers are often dedicated signal processing devices intended for the craft of Geospatial positioning. Mass market devices need to only deliver a position, and when connected to Rx Networks servers with data from our global GNSS reference stations, those positions become fast and accurate. This opens a new world of location-based apps on your mobile device or IoT platform.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Positioning for the masses has always been the aim, and with the growth and development of fast network infrastructure, it was easy to see the valuable need for fast and accurate positioning of assets, packages, and people.
What is your magic sauce?
Rx Networks has been quietly delivering location assistance data in the background, achieving a scale that our typical semiconductor and network operator customers need and very few are able to deliver. However, our “Magic Sauce” is our people. We have a very dedicated and skilled group of people who ensure our customers get customized, high-quality service with one of the best availability guarantees in the industry.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our goal is to provide a universal GNSS data service enabling any device or chipset that needs positioning with accurate location on demand and at an affordable price. We have shifted our focus from being technology-driven to using technology to solve real-world problems. Our vision is to ensure devices around the globe have accurate location and spatial intelligence to make people’s lives easier, safer, and more enjoyable. The biggest compliment that we achieved this vision, and proof we have achieved our vision, would be the expansion of spatial intelligence and the integration of location into our navigation, device automation, games, etc. Imagine how we could manage resources if we knew exactly when and where they are, along with when and where they were or should be, to optimize traffic, natural resource, and noise. Spatial intelligence has many more novel uses that developers and innovators are trying to realize, and our role in the GNSS industry is to be the data solution that enables this development.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
With the dynamics of the high-tech industry, you must be prepared for opportunity windows that appear and may change as new use cases emerge. So, the biggest challenge is to be prepared to jump through those opportunity windows when they arrive and make sure it is the right window to jump through. Flexibility and understanding of the base needs to ensure a company has a foundation to be able to adjust and support an ever-changing industry.
Our mantra has typically been to be early to market with high quality and availability. Doing this does comes with its own perils, including working with standards and technologies that are themselves still in development. We all can name technologies and products that were launched well before their time and wish they could know then what we know now about the market conditions. Over the years, it has been a challenge to ensure this leading position, but we have developed extensible technologies and a customer-focused mindset, which allows us to work with partners to ensure we are adapting to changes as quickly as possible.
The best way we address our need for flexibility is to follow Rx Networks’ mission and values. This helped us to confidently be ready to tackle the opportunities we planned for and ensure we could rely on our competencies to leap into windows of opportunity that were not expected.
How can people get involved?
If you have a GNSS receiver or applications needing GNSS assistance data and/or GNSS corrections data, please visit our website at www.rxnetworks.com or send an email to info@rxnetworks.com. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @rxnetworks